Gov. Gregoire: President's flu strategy lacks adequate funding

For Immediate Release: November 2, 2005

OLYMPIA - Nov. 2, 2005 - Gov. Chris Gregoire today said the president�s strategy to prepare the nation for pandemic flu is �woefully lacking.�

�We are pleased that the federal government is making pandemic flu preparedness a priority, but this plan focuses too heavily on purchasing medication and vaccines and not enough on funding the enormous amount of work that must happen on the state and local level,� Gov. Gregoire said.

The president�s strategy includes a $7.1 billion request to Congress for funds to prepare for pandemic flu. Of that money, only about $100 million is slated to be divided up for state and local preparedness, no where near enough, the governor said. �At the same time the federal government is currently cutting about $130 million for overall public health preparedness. That�s a bad combination.�

�Antiviral medication and vaccine are an important part of a comprehensive pandemic flu preparedness strategy, but the real work is here on the ground in states, counties and local communities.�

While Washington state has been working on pandemic flu planning for some time, no decisions on stockpiling antiviral medication has been made at this point.

�Most people don�t realize how devastating a pandemic could be. Even at conservative estimates, a pandemic could result in overwhelmed hospitals, shortages of antibiotics, school closures and businesses having to close their doors because so many of their employees are sick,� the governor said .

Washington Department of Health Secretary Mary Selecky, who is Immediate Past President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and chairs its Public Health Preparedness Committee, said preparedness is key to meeting a pandemic head on.

�We need to make sure that people know what a pandemic is and what they can do to protect themselves,� Secretary Selecky said. �Our hospitals and communities must have plans to handle huge increases in the number of patients, and government agencies and businesses must have plans in place to keep providing essential services when large numbers of employees are out sick.

�Now that we know what the federal plan is, we will take it into account as we determine what�s best here. Vaccines and antiviral medications have some shortcomings and may not work,� she added.

Secretary Selecky said there have been three pandemics in the past century and more will occur. �If it isn�t the avian flu, it will be another new virus that causes a pandemic. We must be ready. We�ve done some good work preparing in our state, but there is a lot more to do.�

Secretary Selecky said that part of preparedness is maintaining overall health and using basic prevention measures. �People should make sure to get their annual flu shot and remember the good health manners Mom taught us. These are still the best ways to prevent the spread of disease. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, wash your hands often, and if you are sick, stay home from work or school.�

Washington�s Department of Health has been among the leaders in the country preparing for emergencies. For example, the agency was among the first to plan and test the ability to distribute medications to large numbers of people. The department has also worked with State Emergency Management to create a booklet with information for the public about preparing for all types of emergencies. It is available on the Department of Health Web site at www.doh.wa.gov.

State and local health officials with their counterparts in British Columbia in April agreed to share pandemic flu preparedness plans and information, forging relationships that will be essential in an emergency.

�We know that disease doesn�t respect borders,� Gov. Gregoire said. �If we do have a pandemic flu outbreak in the Northwest, we will have to work very close with our neighbors in other states, Canada, and beyond.�

# # #